First OfficerJust wanted to mention a fun learning experience I had in a flight yesterday. In line with the Exciting Flight Simulator Flights Topic by CRJCapt (Kiosk group), I've also decided to do all the historic flights. Each one so far has supplied me with some new and unique experiences along with giving me an overall itinerary of flights as I not only fly the historic flight but also fly from the ending point of one to the starting point of the next in a modern a/c.
Yesterday's flight brought me face to face with the navigational techniques used by early aviators. The flight was retracing the first airmail flights in 1918 from Washington to Philadelphia to New York in a Curtiss Jenny.
The briefing suggested looking at the learning center's navigation section on the old methods. I've read through it before but with these two flights it all took on practical meaning. One reason is that you are flying low enough to the ground the whole way to make out individual houses and trees.
I went through each of the 4 basic navigation tools (pilotage, dead reckoning, chart reading, and using the compass) while flying and I gained a much better knowledge and understanding of them than ever.
I was most excited about using the compass to hold a heading at the low altitudes where I really got a good look at wind, aircraft heading, and ground track. I'm sure this is all old hat to most of you, and is somewhat to me as well. But being so low really made me see the effects in a whole new light.
I found myself developing a technique which I wonder is used by real life pilots of small planes.
The first part of the flights I was constantly looking at my compass reading and trying hard to hold to a certain reading with the movements of the stick. Then when I started getting an oblique angled tailwind I noticed that the compass heading wasn't keeping me on course. At this point I was able to see my next landmark and so just stopped looking at the compass and made sure the Jenny crossed over that landmark. That was much easier.
That got me thinking and then I pointed the plane into the desired heading to the next distant landmark, which I could not yet see, but with the plane pointed on that heading over the current landmark I picked out an object in the distance to fly to. Once there I did the same with a new object.... a tree or particular house or building.
At first I thought this bite size approach to ground track seemed a bit goofy... lacking sophistication that I usually identify with most elements of flying. But it worked. I looked at the sim map after doing it a while and my ground track line was straight as could be and it got me to the various landmarks that I was instructed to find along the way.
So... I'd like to hear from any of you that pilot small aircraft to see if this is a valid technique used.
I did mention it to my brother in law who is a scout leader and he says thats pretty much how you do it in hiking to. My hiking days came along with the gps and it kinda makes you skip over some of the basics on the ground.... perhaps in the air also?
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